As if heroin, cocaine, meth, and other drugs are not enough, drug users and addicts are seeking for newer and stronger ways to get high. And now, they turn to flakka, a synthetic drug that many reports say can turn people into what looks like living zombies.

Flakka is a drug so much more dangerous than cocaine and meth. Even experts say that the exact dose is hard to determine, as a few ounce off can mean the difference between getting on an intense high–and dying.

Stimulants are known to heighten blood pressure, cause increased focus, and even make one aggressive. Learn what kinds of drugs can cause a person to be violent and what you can do about it.

For some people, their first realization that their loved one has been using drugs is through an all-out battle with someone whom they used to know as calm, reasonable, and caring. They never thought that their loved one would do something to hurt them physically and emotionally, to be so violent and aggressive. It is definitely a terrifying experience.

Addiction comes in many forms, and you can be addicted to anything, not just illegal substances alone. In fact, the saying holds true: it really isn’t what you use or do, anything in excess is always a bad thing. If a behavior or consumption has come to the point that it’s disturbing, unhealthy, and destructive, then it has become an addiction.

The journey to a healthy, sober, and addiction-free life is not an easy one, nor is it brought by an overnight success. It is actually a life-long dedication, commitment, and hard work. Sustained, the rewards gained from transforming a life of addiction and destruction into a life of health and recovery, is immeasurable and priceless. And like any journey, the way to sobriety starts with a single step.

Not all addicts are similar to what you see in the movies. In fact, many addicts don’t fit the mold at all. They’re successful employees, promising students, great parents, and respectable members of society. In fact, they go to the gym, maybe even keep an all-organic diet, frequent libraries and museums, and seem to have everything in control. Then they go home to drink or go to their dealer to use shabu or meth. Are they addicts?

It’s hard for co-dependents, or families, of an addict to cope with all the trouble and deception they have to go through with their addicted loved ones. The real problem, however, lies in what happens in their brains. Do you know that co-dependents can have altered brain chemistry too–all because of their loved ones’ addiction?

You may never know what pain is like until you live with someone who is an addict. So it’s no surprise that many people who love and live with someone who is addicted to drugs and alcohol would feel like going insane. This is because they have to deal with a chaotic mix of emotions on a daily basis, such as fear, worry, anger, hurt, confusion, shame, love, resentment, and more. All this comes as a price to pay for loving someone who has an addiction.

The development of addiction often stems from specific thinking patterns that allow them to normalize and justify their continued use of psychoactive drugs despite its negative consequences. In fact, many research have shown brain scans of certain regions in the brain related to impulsive behavior and how this is commonly present in the brains of those who are addicts and alcoholics.

In a feature titled “What’s a day like inside a private drug rehab center?” published last September 10, 2016, Rappler goes inside Bridges of Hope Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. The social news network takes a look at what goes on inside a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.

Written by Jodesz Gavilan, the Rappler article visits Bridges of Hope’s Quezon City branch, which is tucked in Mariposa St. in New Manila, Quezon City.

In a time when addiction has become prevalent in our communities, it’s unfortunate that stereotypes and prejudices is also still common.

Many people think that addiction involves only those who are poor and uneducated. There’s also the stigma that addicts are criminal and even immoral. It’s not uncommon for people to judge addicts as if they have a choice in their condition, as if they have poor willpower or a character or moral flaw. Little do people know that addiction hijacks the brain and rewires it in a way that makes the condition more physiological than psychological or simply behavioral.

Bridges of Hope uses Therapeutic Community to treat drug, alcohol, and behavioral addictions

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As a drug addict, I thought I had nothing to hope for. I was physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually messed up...It wasn't easy to change and give up the lifestyle that I was used to. Until I met and got to the place that helped me change my perception and that is Bridges of Hope. The facility helped me know and realize what I am, who I am as a daughter, a friend and a mother.

Testimonials

I am thankful for Bridges of Hope for helping me bring my husband back after many years of being addicted to meth. BH taught him how to be free from drugs, alcohol, and gambling, and find happiness in a positive and sober life.

Grace

Cavite

As a drug addict, I thought I had nothing to hope for. I was physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually messed up...It wasn't easy to change and give up the lifestyle that I was used to. Until I met and got to the place that helped me change my perception and that is Bridges of Hope. The facility helped me know and realize what I am, who I am as a daughter, a friend and a mother.

Ron

Laguna

I thought I lost everything, including myself. With the help of BH and my new-found friends in recovery, I have learned that there IS life after addiction, and now I'm fulfilling my dreams and rebuilding my life with my family. Thank you, Bridges of Hope!